


Truly Unforgettable

by canadianfolk



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-18
Updated: 2011-05-18
Packaged: 2017-10-19 12:55:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/201073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canadianfolk/pseuds/canadianfolk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is J/C and an epi add on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Truly Unforgettable

“What else, B’Elanna? Captain Janeway prodded her half-Klingon Engineer after sensing her hesitation during her usual status report.

“I’m sorry, Captain.” B’Elanna shook her head, and turned toward Janeway. “I was hoping to have a more definitive explanation for it, but... I don’t. Minor damage has been reported in several areas of the ship, and I simply don’t know why. The shields weren’t quite fully functional and there was minute evidence of some kind of weapons fire on the hull, but it was only when Tuvok brought these items to my attention that I noticed some very minor anomalous findings in Engineering that were recorded sometime in the last few weeks. We’ve been trying to see if there was a malfunction in one of the systems, and how it’s all connected, but ... nothing so far.”

Janeway nodded, concern etched on her face. She turned to Tuvok, who sat calmly. “Analysis of the weapons fire, Mr. Tuvok?”

“It is of unknown origin, Captain, and I have been unable to determine how long ago the damage was sustained. I am fairly certain it originated outside the ship. I have no other conjectures or hypotheses at this point in time.”

“I see. And the shields?”

“During a routine analysis, I discovered that the shields were operating at 98.47% efficiency, and I was unable to recalibrate them until I removed some minor programming that I did not remember authorizing. The shields appear to have been modified to deflect a unique form of weapons fire that is not in our database. Perhaps it is the same type that caused the damage to the hull and the engineering systems.”

Janeway turned to B’Elanna, who nodded and began to speak. “There’s evidence of some kind of virus, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what’s been damaged. I only picked it up because there were minute differences found in the back up. So, we started scanning everything. Harry found some odd readings in several areas of the ship, but nothing we could identify with certainty.”

“What kind of readings? Where are they? Is there a security risk?”

B’Elanna shook her head. “Energy readings, but again, of unknown origin and varying in strength, which we think means they are dissipating over time. There seem to be two distinct strengths. The strongest readings have been detected in the main transporter room, in some of the guest quarters, and ... in Chakotay’s quarters,” she added, hesitantly.

Chakotay raised his eyebrows and grimaced. “I don’t remember anything happening over the past couple weeks that’s out of the ordinary.” He shrugged his shoulders slightly. “I’ll be happy to look over that report and see if there’s anything I can add.”

“Do that,” Janeway sounded strong and clear, her confidence in stark contrast to the uncertain voices that had just spoken. “Tuvok, I’d like everyone to go through their personal effects looking for any signs of ... whatever this is that we’re dealing with. Have them check through their personal logs, their closets, under their beds...” She half-smiled at the thought of which crew members would receive disciplinary reports for actually finding anything in an untidy heap under their beds. “Report back to me by 1600 hours tomorrow. Dismissed.“

/=

Kathryn Janeway sat in her Ready Room surrounded by departmental reports. Unable to resist, she’d begun reading them as she got them, fascinated by the detail and depth of analysis undertaken since the previous day. She was so engrossed in the running of her ship that she didn’t hear Chakotay’s chime.

Impatient to unravel this mystery, he overrode the door and entered, unknowingly eliciting a raised eyebrow from the Vulcan security chief at his post on the bridge.

The captain looked up as he entered, nonplussed at his unannounced appearance. “I’m impressed.”

Chakotay looked askance at the massive pile of PADDs.

Smiling, Janeway explained. “It takes an exceptional crew to find this many needles in the proverbial haystack. I almost wonder if they were bored and invented something to keep us entertained. There’s nothing here!”

Sighing, Chakotay looked away. He was not looking forward to this conversation.

“What is it? Did you find something?”

“Yes. I’m obviously involved. Somehow.” He paused, then added, “Intimately.” He looked back at her, smiling sadly. “I’m sorry, Kathryn.”

Although alarmed at his tone, coupled with the use of her first name, she maintained her professionalism and smiled warmly. “Whatever it is, I’m sure there’s a good explanation. What have you found?”

Chakotay hesitated for just a moment, then walked over to where she sat. He stared at the folded papers in his hands for several moments and appeared lost in thought.

Clearing his throat, he began to speak quietly. “I wanted to discuss this with you before I took it to Tuvok.” His eyes reflected deep sadness and regret, and she felt herself tense even more. Chakotay noticed. He thrust the papers into her hand and began to pace the room.

“I found those papers yesterday in my quarters. I don’t remember writing them, but the computer has verified my handwriting.”

“No memory of it at all?”

“None. I’ve had the doctor do a quick scan, but it appears my memory engrams have not been altered. I’ll request a more in-depth assessment immediately.“

Janeway’s gut clenched. Chakotay was a strong person. The thought that his mind had been tampered with would be very upsetting for him, particularly if his loss of control affected the ship.

“And there’s more. I tried to make copies of these notes for you and Tuvok. I scanned the pages onto a PADD, twice, and both times the files disappeared shortly after they’d been uploaded.”

Janeway sat in stunned silence, her earlier levity dismissed.

“I don’t remember anyone named ‘Kellin’ or a race called ‘Ramuran’, but if I was being honest with myself when I wrote that,” he nodded in the direction of the papers in her hand, “I’m not supposed to remember any of it. If they were being truthful, there is nothing to worry about.”

Chakotay took a few more steps, then turned toward her again. “They planted a computer virus that somehow only deletes all references to them, and apparently has no other impact on any data, security, weapons, power usage... Reading this now, I’m worried that I’ve somehow compromised the security of Voyager, though at the time, I took their word that all would be safe.”

Silence filled the room as his words sunk in.

“May I?” Janeway asked quietly, lifting the folded papers in her hands. She noticed that her hands shook slightly.

Chakotay’s quick nod belied his inner hesitation.

Janeway began to read aloud: “First Officer’s Personal Log, Stardate 51813.4

Maybe it would be best, as the Tracer said, to forget about Kellin and the time she spent here. But I don’t want to do that. I want to remember.”

/=

The swish of her Ready Room doors told Janeway that Chakotay had left. A horrible feeling settled deep in the pit of her stomach, with the realization that it was a female Ramuran, Kellin, that had been ‘intimately’ involved with Chakotay.

Janeway looked at the closed doors and sighed. Her relationship with her first officer was... complicated. Since being stranded in the Delta Quadrant, they’d shared a mutual respect and friendship, for which she would be eternally grateful. Without his support, Voyager would not run as smoothly as it did.

But there was a time when there could have been more. She was as conflicted now as she had been then about their time spent on the alien planet when they’d been infected by an insect bite and were forced to remain behind. For several weeks, they thought they would both remain there, alone, together, for the rest of their lives.

For Kathryn, relinquishing her hold on her fiancé had been a difficult, but pragmatic, step. She loved Mark, but knew it was foolish to think they would ever be together again. Voyager had already been stranded in the Delta Quadrant for two years at that point, and he had no way of even knowing she was still alive. Even if he did know, Voyager was still 70,000 light years from home. Kathryn convinced herself, with Chakotay’s help, that she shouldn’t sacrifice everything for a future that might never happen, but should embrace the happiness of the present, and live for the here and now.

Days turned into weeks for their exile. Slowly the barriers began to come down. The more she knew of Chakotay, the deeper her feelings became. They flirted with each other, innocently, enjoying the game. She knew with certainty that he returned her affection, and was even more sure that it was only a matter of time until they’d become lovers.

Looking back over her life, Kathryn Janeway could only count a few significant moments of deep disappointment or heartbreak. Tuvok’s voice, communicating their imminent rescue, counted among them.

/=

There was no discussion of attempting to maintain or move forward with a more intense level of commitment to each other once Voyager had contacted them. They knew each other well enough at that point to know that duty to the ship was first and foremost in both their minds.

Chakotay heard Kathryn weeping quietly in her bed later that last evening on the planet. He desperately wished she’d come to him for comfort, just as much as he knew she’d refuse any and all attempts on his part to offer it. He stood at her door in the darkness, knowing that she was aware of his presence. Neither reached out to the other, and eventually Chakotay returned to his own bed, alone.

Neither slept that night. The following afternoon, when all their belongings had been gathered, they stood together at the beam out site. Not many words had been spoken while they’d packed, but Kathryn needed to say goodbye.

She looked at Chakotay, not retreating from the intensity of his eyes for the first time since they’d heard Tuvok’s voice.

“I wish...” Kathryn bit her lip, not sure how to articulate her conflicted emotional state.

Chakotay nodded. “Me too.”

Kathryn’s eyes filled with tears, and she shook her head slightly, annoyed with herself.

Chakotay reached over, and brushed her cheek. Smiling sadly, he quoted, “Better to have loved and lost...”

Love. Had it progressed that far? Were her feelings that deep? Could she admit to herself that she’d lost yet another man that she loved?

Yes. “... than never to have loved at all,” she finished for him quietly. She stepped forward and they embraced, feeling more keenly than ever before, that the current path of their lives was out of their control.

/=

Kathryn had grieved the loss of what-might-have-been with Chakotay. Once safely back on board, she even half-heartedly hoped that refocusing her affections on Mark would lessen her pain, but she was not very successful.

There were many moments in the intervening years where she found ‘letting go’ to be particularly difficult, none more so than Chakotay’s involvement with a woman named Riley Frazier.

Somehow, they always managed to recover from each near death experience, each alien interference and unbelievably, throughout it all, their friendship survived.

It had to. There could be no discord between them if Voyager was going to survive the journey home. With Seska gone, there were very few issues among the crew, but Kathryn Janeway still felt that it was important for her to maintain the Starfleet model of the solitary leader. Maybe someday she’d be brave enough to consider a relationship with Chakotay as further strengthening her leadership role, but at present, she alone carried the burden of returning her crew home.

And so it was that Janeway forced herself to think of the ship, and her duty, and not of her heart, as she continued to read Chakotay’s notes about what happened when Kellin was on board Voyager.

/=

Chakotay’s handwritten notes provided technical information and a specific time frame for a more focused inspection of Voyager. Although a few more inconsequential blips were found in the ship’s overall functioning, no security breaches or evidence of alien control or influence were in evidence during that time period. There also appeared to be no aliens currently present on the ship.

Upon receipt of Chakotay’s information, Tuvok had admonished Chakotay for apparently not sharing his knowledge of both the planted virus and his hand-written solution for bypassing the Ramuran safeguard. Although it would have been unlike him, there had been no mention of Chakotay sharing this information with Security, and he could offer no defence. After studying Chakotay’s notes, Tuvok calculated how small the window of opportunity had been, and was grateful that at least Chakotay had been thorough and detailed in his observations.

Security and Engineering continued to be fascinated and troubled by the effects of the computer virus planted by the Ramurans. Despite multiple attempts, they were unable to quarantine the virus from the main computer. Tuvok and B’Elanna eventually created several PADDs with very limited technology, their sole purpose being to store copies of Chakotay’s notes for reference.

Overall, Janeway and her crew were no further ahead in gaining information about the Ramurans, or the time the aliens spent aboard Voyager. The series of events, as outlined in Chakotay’s handwritten notes, were entered into the logs with code names for Kellin, the Ramurans, their equipment and cloaking technology, and so on, with the modified PADDs and written copies put into storage and serving as the actual entries.

Tuvok closed his investigation into the matter, satisfied that all aspects of the situation had been thoroughly assessed, and no real harm done.

/=

Chakotay, however, was not satisfied. Despite assurances that ship security had not been compromised, he felt oddly unsettled.

Tuvok alone knew the full extent of Chakotay’s involvement with the female alien Kellin. The details of their liaison were fully detailed on a second set of handwritten sheets which Chakotay had found with the initial notes he’d provided to the Captain.

/=

Tuvok’s dismissal of the Ramuran incident should have provided some degree of closure for Chakotay, but instead, it had the opposite effect. An almost palpable aura of melancholy seemed to settle around him as the days wore on. He completed his duties, but appeared tired, and spent a great deal of time alone in his quarters.

At Chakotay’s request, the doctor had attempted to restore his memories, but apparently had been unsuccessful. Shortly after, however, Chakotay’s sleep cycles became increasingly broken by disturbing visions. Warm breath on his neck. Gentle hands caressing his back. The weight of a body – a definitely feminine body – sitting on his lap, breasts pressed against his chest. Wet, languid kisses eliciting moans of pleasure. Touching tongues. Probing fingers, undoing clothing. Thrusting pelvises, joining his dark skin to her fair skin. Words of love, whispered into exquisitely formed ears surrounded by blonde hair...

After experiencing the same dream several nights in a row, Chakotay finally remembered enough to realized that the woman in his dreams fit the description of Kellin in his handwritten notes, and he was either reliving a sexual encounter with her, or dreaming of such an encounter, no doubt aided by the doctor’s efforts.

Rather than enjoying the stimulation and arousal, Chakotay felt embarrassed and foolish. How could he have fallen in love with someone so quickly? How could he have allowed himself to get involved with someone so deeply, and have no recollection? How could he have fallen in love with someone else, when he still loved Kathryn?

Unable to reconcile his unease, Chakotay sought solace in vision quests and meditation. He was left feeling more unsettled than ever as his spirit guide failed to show herself. Having no counsellor on board, Chakotay turned to the only person with full knowledge of his involvement. Tuvok’s calm reassurance was a temporary balm to his aching soul, but Chakotay’s discontent persisted.

/=

Janeway’s attempts at engaging her first officer were unsuccessful. He was oddly distant and uncomfortable when around her, which she found quite disheartening. A small part of her was also jealous that he appeared to be mourning the loss of his lover. Frustrated by his apparent willingness to suffer alone, she sought the advice of her oldest friend.

“I believe that the Ramuran incident has affected him in some way we can’t understand, Tuvok.” Gesturing in frustration, she turned from staring out the viewport of her Ready Room. “I’m concerned that there’s more going on here... The evidence that he is somehow implicated and all our memories have been tampered with seems to have impacted him more than I’d have expected.”

Tuvok agreed, nodding silently as she continued.

“Do you think that he still believes the security of the ship has been compromised?”

“I have reiterated my findings to the commander on several occasions, Captain. He is cognizant of my investigative techniques, and has stated that he has complete faith in my abilities, yet he is concerned that he acted of his own free will as far as the relationship with Kellin is concerned.”

Janeway squinted slightly, as her brow furrowed. “Relationship?” She pursed her lips and nodded, her mind wandering to the many reports generated by this incident. “Bring me a list of the most relevant reports, Tuvok. There’s got to be something else there. I’d like to take one more look at everything.”

A slight nod of acknowledgement elicited a brief nod in return, and Tuvok exited the Ready Room to gather the antiquated data PADDs.

/=

Chakotay was lying on his couch, trying to listen to some upbeat alien music from the ship’s database. His mind was wandering over the events of the past several weeks, trying to reconcile his actions with himself. It seemed natural that Kathryn should suddenly be beside him. Her expression was so caring, so earnest, with concern for him paramount. He found himself being kissed, and kissing back, running his fingers through her thick, blonde hair...

/=

Chakotay sat heavily on his couch while his breathing slowly returned to normal. What was wrong with him that he couldn’t remember the only sex he’d had in ages, and that he was appalled whenever memories or dreams came upon him unexpectedly? He shook his head, then moved his neck from side to side in a futile attempt at shaking off his apathy. He needed to do... something.

Maybe some exercise would help, he thought. He continued to loosen up, hoping he’d still feel like leaving his quarters in a few minutes. Midway through a bone-cracking overhead stretch, his door chimed, and he exhaled loudly as he got up to greet whoever was at the door.

“Captain.” Forcing an air of calm that he didn’t feel, Chakotay gestured for his commanding officer to enter his quarters.

Kathryn entered, somewhat hesitantly, and came in only far enough for the doors to shut behind her.

“What is it? Is something wrong?” Her breathing was more rapid than usual, and her cheeks looked flushed. Chakotay approached her, and felt, rather than saw, Kathryn pull back slightly.

After searching his face briefly, Kathryn seemed to relax, and Chakotay felt his gut unclench slightly.

“No, nothing’s wrong.” Her voice wavered slightly, but she now stood firm. “Is it alright if.... can we talk for a bit?”

Chakotay motioned for her to lead the way, and Kathryn made her way toward the sitting area. Unexpectedly, she stopped directly beside him, and turned to face him.

The alarm he felt was short-lived and replaced by shock as she reached up and placed her palm on his chest. Gazing intently, Kathryn smiled nervously, unable to wait any longer.

“Is it true? You... still love me?”

Chakotay’s eyes widened, and he found it difficult to breathe. “I... how...?” he stammered, shaking his head slightly, unsure of who or where he was.

Withdrawing her hand quickly, Kathryn stepped back. “I’m sorry, Commander. I appear to have misunderstood...”

The next sensation she felt was warmth - warm hands holding her cheek and neck, warm lips and warm body pressing against her own.

After a moment, Chakotay pulled back, gauging her response. Again, she appeared flushed and her breathing was more rapid than usual, but he was no longer alarmed. He smiled, and kissed her again, letting his hands wander over her back. Her arms had found their way around his waist at some point, and were pulling him closer and holding him more tightly against her body. He felt himself becoming aroused, and then even more so as she rubbed herself against him.

Planting a kiss on her forehead, Chakotay stepped back again. Her smile was beautiful, and he couldn’t help but smile in return.

Kathryn broke the silence. “I’ve just had a most ... enlightening ... conversation with our Security Chief. He has sent you a formal apology via comm, by the way.”

The puzzled expression on the face of the man standing before her made Kathryn chuckle. “I’ve been worried about you. I asked him for the most relevant reports on the Ramuran incident, and he wasn’t aware that I hadn’t seen the second set of notes you wrote yourself. He’s apologizing for violating your confidence.”

Chakotay looked down, ashamed. “I can’t believe that of myself. It’s ... so not like me. I mean, what was I thinking?”

Kathryn swallowed back the jealousy that his comments engendered. It hurt that his feelings for Kellin had been real, but that didn’t matter anymore, now that they were at this stage.

“You were in love with her. Twice, apparently. It felt wonderful. You wrote about how happy you were, how alive you felt. You gave yourself freely to those feelings. A real ‘high’.”

Chakotay’s face fell. “I remember reading that.”

Taking no notice, Kathryn continued, “It’s a lonely life out here. In a way, I’m happy for you that you found each other, even if only for a short time.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Chakotay countered, ‘What’s the point? None of us remembers? And I don’t want any part of it...”

Kathryn smiled. “It’s as you said in your notes... to prove to yourself that you still can love another. To live in the moment, to make someone else happy... lots of reasons. We do many things to help us get through the day, for no other reason than to simply survive each day.”

“Survival? That’s not enough for me.”

“I know.” Smiling, she looked at him fondly. “But it did prove you were still alive. A start. And... it got me here now.”

Their eyes met, and Kathryn tilted her head to side and smiled. “I can easily see why Kellin chose to fall in love with you. You’re a kind, generous person, with a big heart... your tactical training was likely an appealing trait for her too.” Kathryn smirked and winked at his mock outrage. “It would be easy to fall in love with you.”

Chakotay searched her face for any indication that she might know what her words meant to him, even now, after all this time.

Determined to deal with this fully, Kathryn continued. “You’re easy to talk to, have a good sense of humour, you’re charming and handsome...”

Kathryn cleared her throat. “I remember nothing of Kellin, but you also have discerning taste, so I imagine she was also worthy of your affections.”

Chakotay still felt rather ambivalent about his traitorous heart, but agreed that if Kellin had been a true rival to Kathryn, she really had to have been something extraordinary. Somehow, that made him feel better, and his heart warmed to think that Kathryn knew exactly what she was doing.

Smiling, she began to speak again. “In your notes, you said that you wished that I was the one returning those feelings. You were lonely, and she was beautiful, attentive, responsive... and had risked everything because of her love for you. If you loved her, she must have been a noble... caring... intelligent... beautiful person.”

“I can’t even tell you that for sure.” Chakotay shook his head, a sad smile gracing his handsome features. “I don’t remember anything. And that’s what makes it so frustrating. How could I fall in love with someone... that wasn’t you? And so deeply? And quickly? It’s like a badly-written holonovel...” Chakotay’s heart eased even more with his declaration to Kathryn, and his unease lessened.

“Well,” Kathryn patted his arm as she stepped away slightly, “if it makes you feel any better, the doctor has a theory.”

“He’s been theorizing for a month...”

“He has, but I don’t think he was considering the relative importance of some of the more qualitative factors in his theories, like ‘affection’.”

“Meaning...?”

“Tuvok and I found it difficult to believe that there were no records other than your own of the entire incident. “

“So I’ve been told,” Chakotay attempted to not sound petulant. “It seems unlikely that I would be the only one to make any permanent record.”

“Agreed. Maybe... maybe there is something in their physiology that not only makes us forget who they after they leave, but also makes us want to help them while they are here, maybe makes us more compliant, so they can leave as soon as possible.”

“I wrote that I was worried about the nature of my feelings, that I was being manipulated somehow.”

“And that may very well be true. You were more... involved... than any others. The rest of us fell in line and behaved exactly as they hoped we would, and forgot everything. You felt compelled to remember.”

Chakotay considered the possibility in her words. “They are xenophobic, so it makes sense that they would want to minimize any unintentional contact. Maybe they ‘pour on the charm’ to elicit whatever help they need, to get it quickly.”

“And in so doing, caused you to fall in love. I’d hazard to guess that Kellin’s stay here was longer than a typical tracer’s would be while looking for someone.”

A slow smile spread across Chakotay’s face as he listened to Kathryn’s theories.

“The doctor has been re-analyzing your initial brain scans, comparing them with your most recent ones and others from the past four years. Your serotonin and endorphin levels were elevated, as were those of three other crew members that he’d assessed as part of their annual physicals during the dates when Kellin was onboard. Your levels have all dropped to levels that don’t correlate with any other physiological change, and yours in particular, almost like a ‘rebound’ effect. He theorizes that you’re in withdrawal, that the higher levels were artificially induced, with the result that your own body decreased production as a result.”

“I bet he’d find something else right now...” Chakotay hugged Kathryn tightly, feeling the weight of the world lift off his shoulders. “It seemed so out of character for me, to just ‘forget’ where my heart really was.” He beamed at her. “I’m so relieved.”

Kathryn hugged him back. “I was worried about you,” she admitted. “You haven’t been yourself.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Tilting her head to the side, Kathryn reached up and placed her hand on the side of his face. “Our minds and bodies and moods respond in a myriad of ways to our hormone levels, both good and bad. No need to apologize for something that was out of your control.”

Chakotay covered her hand with his while Kathryn continued. “The doctor wants you to go to Sickbay for another analysis. He thinks your levels are capable of self-regulating, but just wants to be sure there have been no lasting effects.”

Even though he knew she was being sincere and serious, Chakotay laughed at Kathryn’s words. It felt good. He hadn’t laughed in earnest in weeks. Kathryn’s questioning but amused expression added further fuel to his fire, until they both found themselves laughing breathlessly.

“I feel great,” Chakotay gasped, “the best I’ve felt in awhile. My hormones are just fine.”

Kathryn smiled, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. He did feel great.

/=

Chakotay’s arm was asleep, but there was a dead weight on it that made it impossible to move. His attempt to pull his arm toward himself resulted in a feminine sleepy moan. He smiled as the memories of the previous night came back to him.

During the heartfelt discussion that began in Sickbay as the doctor ran his scans, Kathryn and Chakotay worked through the tangled web that was their past, their present, and possibly, hopefully, their future. Any doubt that Kathryn held about Chakotay’s sincerity or intentions had vanished when she inadvertently read the words he’d written regarding his liaison with Kellin. And somewhere in those words, Kathryn had found the strength to trust him as an equal partner with her ship, their crew, their mission home, and her heart.

Their intentions were sealed with a kiss in Sickbay, much to the doctor’s delight. After what seemed interminably long, Chakotay was released, with the doctor’s acerbic comments about his hormone levels going unheard as they rushed out of Sickbay to return to his quarters.

Until last night, he hadn’t known the passion that Kathryn held in check. Once released from the confines of her self-imposed restrictions, she was a vocal and selfless lover, uninhibited and wild.

Chakotay pulled her close, spooning her from behind as he buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply with contentment.

/=

He was dreaming again. Warm breath on his neck. Gentle hands caressing his back. The weight of her body straddling him, breasts swaying with her movements. Wet, languid kisses eliciting moans of pleasure. Touching tongues. Probing fingers. His dark skin contrasting her fair skin. Words of love, whispered with heartfelt sincerity. Blue eyes, framed in auburn hair, whispering back those same words of love.

This night, this love, this woman... in his mind, forever. Truly unforgettable.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to elem for the beta. Naturally, I've fiddled with it since, so all mistakes, new and old, are mine.
> 
> Written for VAMB's 2009 Spring Fling, for the request "A J/T or J/C fic, preferably romantic..."
> 
> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


End file.
